Quadriceps Tendonitis Treatment Mandeville LA

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Quadriceps Tendonitis

A Patient's Guide to Quadriceps Tendonitis of the Knee

Introduction

Alignment or overuse problems of the knee structures can lead to strain, irritation, and/or injury of the quadriceps muscle and tendon. This produces pain, weakness, and swelling of the knee joint.

These problems can affect people of all ages but the majority of patients with overuse injuries of the knee (and specifically quadriceps tendonitis) are involved in soccer, volleyball, or running activities.

This guide will help you understand

how the problem develops

how doctors diagnose the condition

what treatment options are available

Anatomy

What is the quadriceps muscle/tendon, and what does it do?

The patella (kneecap) is the moveable bone on the front of the knee. This unique bone is wrapped inside a tendon that connects the large muscles on the front of the thigh, the quadriceps muscles, to the lower leg bone.

The large quadriceps muscle ends in a tendon that inserts into the tibial tubercle, a bony bump at the top of the tibia (shin bone) just below the patella. The tendon together with the patella is called the quadriceps mechanism. Though we think of it as a single device, the quadriceps mechanism has two separate tendons, the quadriceps tendon on top of the patella and the patellar tendon below the patella.

Tightening up the quadriceps muscles places a pull on the tendons of the quadriceps mechanism. This action causes the knee to straighten. The patella acts like a fulcrum to increase the force of the quadriceps muscles.

The long bones of the femur and the tibia act as level arms, placing force or load on the knee joint and surrounding soft tissues. The amount of load can be quite significant. For example, the joint reaction forces of the lower extremity (including the knee) are two to three times the body weight during walking and up to five times the body weight when running.

Related Document: A Patient's Guide to Knee Anatomy

Causes

How does this problem develop

Quadriceps tendonitis occurs most often as a result of stresses placed on the supporting structures of the knee. Running, jumping, and quick starts and stops contribute to this condition. Overuse injuries from sports activities is the most common cause but anyone can be affected, even those who do not participate in sports or recreational activities.

There are extrinsic (outside) factors that are linked with overuse tendon injuries of the knee. These include inappropriate footwear, training errors (frequency, intensity, duration), and surface or ground (hard surface, cement) being used for the sport or event (such as running). Training errors are summed up by the rule of toos. This refers to training too much, too far, too fast, or too long. Advancing the training schedule forward too quickly is a major cause of quadriceps tendonitis.

Intrinsic (internal) factors such as age, flexibility, and joint laxity are also importan...

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